''Star Trek'' uniforms are costumes worn by actors portraying personnel of a fictitious
Starfleet
Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...
in various television series and films in the ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
''
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
franchise. The
costume design
Costume design is the creation of clothing for the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the arti ...
often changed in the various series, to represent different time periods, and for reasons of appearance and comfort. Sometimes different styles were deliberately mixed to enhance the sense of
time travel
Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
or
alternative universes.
Original series
The original uniform designs were the product of costume designer
Bill Theiss. These uniforms consisted of a colored top and dark pants, with significant variations between the designs used in the pilot episodes and the rest of the series.
Pilot version
The Starfleet uniforms seen in the unaired pilot "
The Cage
The Cage may refer to:
Sports
* West Fourth Street Courts, also known as "The Cage", as of 1978, a public venue for amateur basketball in New York City
* Al-Shorta Stadium, 1990-2014, former football stadium of Al-Shorta SC, nicknamed "The Cage ...
" (footage of which was re-used in a later episode, "
The Menagerie") and the second pilot "
Where No Man Has Gone Before
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the third episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series, ''Star Trek''. Written by Samuel A. Peeples and directed by James Goldstone, it first aired on September 22, 1966.
In t ...
", consisted of a
tunic
A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome ...
with a heavy ribbed
turtle neck
A polo neck, roll-neck (United Kingdom, South Africa), turtleneck (United States, Canada), or skivvy ( Australia, New Zealand, United States) is a garment—usually a sweater—with a close-fitting collar that folds over and covers the ...
collar for men, and a
cowl
A cowl is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves, often worn by monks.
Originally it may have referred simply to the hooded portion of a cloak. In contemporary usage, however, it is distinguished from a clo ...
neck variation for women, each in three colors: gold, beige ("sand"), and light blue, worn over
charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
slacks
Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and d ...
. Gray jackets were sometimes worn on landing party duty.
Officers in the first ''Star Trek'' pilot, "The Cage", wore a single solid gold sleeve stripe, and only the officer grades of "lieutenant" and "captain" were used in dialog. A "chief" was also visible, but wearing a different sleeve stripe, consisting of two thin lines encircling the cuff, with a wavy gold line appearing above and below these lines. Characters addressed as "crewman" wore no sleeve insignia. The gray coats also bore silver rank stripes on the sleeves. In the second pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", most officers again wore a single stripe; Captain James T. Kirk wore two stripes.
The rank indicators used in the pilots and the production series differed because Roddenberry and Theiss had not yet worked out a consistent system for officer-grade indicators on the uniforms; this they would do after the second pilot.
The original series Starfleet uniforms do not include headgear of any sort, including the officer's
combination cap
The peaked cap, peaked hat, service cap, barracks cover or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organisations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments. It ...
and service
side cap
Side or Sides may refer to:
Geometry
* Edge (geometry) of a polygon (two-dimensional shape)
* Face (geometry) of a polyhedron (three-dimensional shape)
Places
* Side (Ainis), a town of Ainis, ancient Thessaly, Greece
* Side (Caria), a town of ...
.
Production version
![WonderCon 2012 - original series Star Trek uniforms](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/WonderCon_2012_-_original_series_Star_Trek_uniforms.jpg)
The original uniform material was
velour
Velour, occasionally velours, is a plush, knitted fabric or textile similar to velvet or velveteen. It is usually made from cotton, but can also be made from synthetic materials such as polyester. Often, it contains a percentage of elastane, ...
. This was used in the first and second seasons because it was cheap and easy to care for, but it shrank after it was dry-cleaned, and it tore easily. It was replaced in the third season by a nylon fabric used in professional baseball uniforms. Differently colored shirts were worn with charcoal slacks – which appeared black on camera – only by men.
While women wear trousers in the pilots, most female Starfleet personnel wear more revealing costumes per request from NBC;
Grace Lee Whitney
Grace Lee Whitney (born Mary Ann Chase; April 1, 1930 – May 1, 2015) was an American actress and singer. She played Janice Rand on the original ''Star Trek'' television series and subsequent ''Star Trek'' films.
Early life
Whitney was born on ...
suggested
miniskirt
A miniskirt (sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, separated as mini skirt, or sometimes shortened to simply mini) is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than below the buttocks; and a ...
s.
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
observed that ''Star Trek'', "to the appreciation of all the men on the set, in fact all around the world, would boast the shortest skirts on women of any regular series on television".
Miniskirt-length dresses (of the same materials and colors as the shirts) with
cheer briefs and dark tights were worn by the women. Black boots were worn by both sexes.
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols (, born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in ''Star Trek'' and its film sequels. Nichols' portrayal of Uhura was gr ...
did not believe that the miniskirts were unusually short or revealing:
Once the series went into production, use of the jackets on landing parties stopped, even in inclement weather (e.g. "
Mudd's Women
"Mudd's Women" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Stephen Kandel, based on a story by Gene Roddenberry, and directed by Harvey Hart, it first aired on October 13, ...
").
On certain occasions, the characters would wear
dress uniform
Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades, ceremonies, and receptions, incl ...
s (''TOS:'' first shown in "
The Menagerie" and later used in "
Court Martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
", "
Space Seed
"Space Seed" is the twenty-second episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber and directed by Marc Daniels, it first aired on February 16, 1967.
In the e ...
", "
Journey to Babel
"Journey to Babel" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by D. C. Fontana and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on November 17, 1967.
In the episode, ...
", and "The Savage Curtain") that are made of a shinier fabric, presumably a polyester satin, and are decorated with gold piping and colored badges that vary depending on rank.
Montgomery Scott
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a fictional character in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original ''Star Trek'' series, Scotty also appears in the animated ''Star Trek'' series, 10 ''Star Trek' ...
's dress uniform, especially as seen in "
The Savage Curtain
"The Savage Curtain" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Gene Roddenberry and Arthur Heinemann (based on an original story by Roddenberry) and directed by He ...
", includes a
Scottish tartan. Specifically, it is the tartan of the
Clan Scott
Clan Scott is a Scottish clan and is recognised as such by the Lord Lyon King of Arms.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council ...
, one of Scotland's oldest clans. Jumpsuits in the same colors with black undershirts were also worn, mostly by background characters.
Beginning with the first production episode "
The Corbomite Maneuver
"The Corbomite Maneuver" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Jerry Sohl and directed by Joseph Sargent, it first aired on November 10, 1966. In the episode, the ' ...
", the department colors were slightly altered from the pilot versions: command and
helm personnel wear gold shirts; operations, engineering and security personnel wear red; and science and medical personnel wear blue, all with black collars and undershirts.
["]The Man Trap
"The Man Trap" is the first episode of season one of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by George Clayton Johnson and directed by Marc Daniels, it featured design work by Wah Chang and first aired in the Unite ...
" The most commonly used Command Section shirts were actually chartreuse-green in color, but they appeared to be a golden-yellow color both under the lights used on the set and in the post-development film stock. In later series, the gold color was canonized in dialog. However, some uniforms – the alternate shirts worn by Captain Kirk, and the Command Section dress uniforms – were made of a different material which, while the same color, showed up as chartreuse-green even under the lights and when photographed.
["]The Cage
The Cage may refer to:
Sports
* West Fourth Street Courts, also known as "The Cage", as of 1978, a public venue for amateur basketball in New York City
* Al-Shorta Stadium, 1990-2014, former football stadium of Al-Shorta SC, nicknamed "The Cage ...
" and "Where No Man Has Gone Before
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the third episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series, ''Star Trek''. Written by Samuel A. Peeples and directed by James Goldstone, it first aired on September 22, 1966.
In t ...
" The green shirts (seen in ''TOS'': "
The Trouble with Tribbles
"The Trouble with Tribbles" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by David Gerrold and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on December 29, 1967. In ...
", "
Charlie X
"Charlie X" is the second episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Dorothy C. Fontana from a story by Gene Roddenberry, and directed by Lawrence Dobkin, it first aired on September ...
" and "
The Immunity Syndrome") may have the rank stripes on the sleeves or on the collar (''TOS'': "
The Enemy Within"), and always feature the ''Enterprise'' assignment patch near the waist as a belt fastener.
Rank and insignia
The production rank system worked out by series creator
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...
and costume designer Bill Theiss resembles that of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, in contrast to other
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
franchises that use an
army ranking system. In ''
Star Trek: The Original Series
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...
'' (''TOS'') and ''
Star Trek: The Motion Picture'', ranks are indicated by sleeve stripes. While these were originally planned to follow the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard model, the pattern was modified to avoid an overly flashy or militaristic look by removing one stripe from each Starfleet rank. Thus: a
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, a ...
, when seen, wears a wide gold braid with a gold stripe above and below; a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
’s insignia resembles that of a
naval lieutenant commander (two and a half stripes); a commander’s resembles a
naval lieutenant
LieutenantThe pronunciation of ''lieutenant'' is generally split between , , generally in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries, and , , generally associated with the United States. See lieutenant. (abbreviated Lt, LT (U.S. ...
(two stripes); a
lieutenant commander
Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...
's resembles a naval
lieutennant junior grade (LtJG) (one and a half stripes); a lieutenant's resembles a
naval ensign
A naval ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by naval ships of various countries to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from a country's civil ensign or state ensign.
It can also be known as a war ensign. A large ver ...
(one stripe), and an ensign wears no sleeve stripes. The LtJG rank was not used in TOS (though there have been references to "sub-lieutenants" in subsequent works). Also, there was no distinction made between ensigns and
non-commissioned officers
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
or
enlisted
Enlisted may refer to:
* Enlisted rank
An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or ...
crew members in TOS; everyone below the rank of lieutenant was presumed to be an ensign. (This was later determined to be unrealistic when the movies were made and thus was reversed.)
In later movies based on ''The Original Series'', ranks are indicated by pins on a shoulder strap and the left sleeve. These are unique symbols for each rank like those worn universally by officers in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
In most franchise television series, ranks are indicated by varying numbers of gold or black dots (“pips”) or bars worn on the uniform collar. These more closely follow the naval officer pattern, with gold pips equating to a whole stripe and black pips equating to a half stripe.
Service insignia
Six duty insignia were defined for TOS:
Starship duty
![USS Enterprise Patch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/USS_Enterprise_Patch.svg)
Theiss designed a shield-shaped badge in 1964 which he called the "arrowhead", with input from Roddenberry. This came to be known as the ''Star Trek delta insignia'', and has since become iconic of the Starship ''Enterprise'' and the entire Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry's intent was that personnel of all starfleet starships would wear this, but in production of the first season episode "
The Omega Glory
"The Omega Glory" is the twenty-third episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Gene Roddenberry and directed by Vincent McEveety, it was first broadcast March 1, 1968. In the epis ...
”, Theiss mistakenly got the idea that each starship would have a unique insignia, from the fact that some starship officers in an earlier episode "
Charlie X
"Charlie X" is the second episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Dorothy C. Fontana from a story by Gene Roddenberry, and directed by Lawrence Dobkin, it first aired on September ...
" wore a different insignia (see ''Civilian starship duty''). He therefore designed a rectangular insignia worn by the captain and the chief medical officer of the USS ''Exeter''. Shortly before October 7, 2018, a December 18 1967 memo to Theiss from producer
Bob Justman
Robert Harris "Bob" Justman (July 13, 1926 – May 28, 2008) was an American television producer, director, and production manager. He worked on many American TV series including '' Lassie'', ''The Life of Riley'', '' Adventures of Superman'' ...
was discovered. Justman noticed the error while reviewing footage and consulted with Roddenberry, who clarified that this indeed was a mistake: all Starfleet starship personnel are to wear the delta insignia as seen on the Enterprise crew uniform. Footage was not reshot to correct the error, but Justman made it clear it was not to be repeated. Going forward, the delta symbol remained consistent for all starship personnel, as seen in “
Court Martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
” and “
The Tholian Web
"The Tholian Web" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Judy Burns and Chet Richards and directed by Herb Wallerstein, it was first broadcast on November 15, 1968.
I ...
”.
This was not publicized, leading to the "unique starship insignia" theory taking hold among fans. Confusion returned to the franchise during production of the ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' episode “
In a Mirror Darkly”, which shows what happened to the lost USS ''Defiant'' appearing in the original series episode “The Tholian Web”. The ''Enterprise'' costume designers designed an insignia for the ''Defiant'', based on the incorrect assumption that universal use of the delta symbol was in honor of the NCC-1701 Enterprise completing its first five-year mission.
In all other Star Trek series and movies, the delta insignia is universal regardless of duty posting.
The delta symbol has a number of variants, based on the ship's department served in:
*Command: Including helm and navigation functions; the basic delta with an elongated star is worn on a gold tunic and the captain's special green tunic.
*Science: The star is replaced with a circle representing a planet with its equator outlined. This is worn on a blue tunic.
*Operations: This includes Engineering, Security, and Communications. The symbol is a six-sided spiral shape. This is worn on a red tunic. A large number of security officers sacrificially die in landing party duty, leading to the meme "
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
" which is often parodied in other media.
*Medical: Doctors wear the science insignia, and nurses wear the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
, on blue tunics. Doctors occasionally wear
scrubs
Scrub(s) may refer to:
* Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland
* Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff
* ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program
* Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...
in sick bay.
There were slight variations in the delta insignia among the two pilots and production. In the first pilot, all delta insignia were bordered in gold; this changed to black for the second pilot and subsequent productions. Also, in the pilots, the science and operations symbols were switched (spiral for science and planet circle for operations).
Civilian ship duty
The early first season episode "
Charlie X
"Charlie X" is the second episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Dorothy C. Fontana from a story by Gene Roddenberry, and directed by Lawrence Dobkin, it first aired on September ...
" shows the captain and first officer of the ''Antares'' wearing a differently shaped insignia. As Roddenberry clarified
this was due to their service on a civilian (merchant marine) vessel, but led to Theiss' mistaken idea that every starship had a unique insignia.
Fleet command
Commodore Matt Decker is seen in the second season episode "
The Doomsday Machine", wearing a pretzel-shaped insignia. This designates Decker's rare status as a flag officer in command of a single starship, the USS ''Constellation''. This likely added to the confusion of the "unique starship insignia" theory.
Starbase duty
This insignia is a gold-colored stylized representation of an
evening starflower; this is mainly seen worn by commodores, admirals,
JAG personnel, and support staff in episodes revolving around
courts-martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
such as Spock's in "
The Menagerie" and Kirk's in "
Court Martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
".
Outpost duty
A gold
spikelet
A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots.
Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...
on a black background is worn by persons on special duty posted in the Federation frontier. These are second only to the security redshirts as "
cannon fodder
Cannon fodder is an informal, derogatory term for combatants who are regarded or treated by government or military command as expendable in the face of enemy fire. The term is generally used in situations where combatants are forced to deliberately ...
".
Cadet duty
Starfleet Academy
In the Setting (fiction), fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', Starfleet Academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's mot ...
cadets wear a smaller,
pewter
Pewter () is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99%), antimony (approximately 5–10%), copper (2%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. Copper and antimony (and in antiquity lead) act as hardeners, but lead may be used in lower grades of ...
-colored version of the Evening Starflower worn by Starbase personnel. A
simulacrum
A simulacrum (plural: simulacra or simulacrums, from Latin '' simulacrum'', which means "likeness, semblance") is a representation or imitation of a person or thing. The word was first recorded in the English language in the late 16th century, u ...
of Kirk's academy rival and bully Finnegan is seen wearing it in "
Shore Leave (Star Trek: The Original Series)".
''Star Trek: The Animated Series''
Based on the success and increasing popularity of ''Star Trek'' in syndication, an
animated version of the series was produced from 1973 to 1974. The uniforms depicted in this series matched the general parameters and appearance of those used in the live action series. The perception by fans of the command uniforms being yellow/gold instead of green, thanks to set lighting and other factors, resulted in the producers committing to a definitive gold-color for animation purposes. The command dress uniforms remained green to match the perceived colors represented by the live action series. However, the uniform pants were colored gray to match the actual fabric used in the live action series as opposed to the black they had appeared to be when filmed.
Original film franchise
The original plans for the aborted ''
Star Trek: Phase II
''Star Trek: Phase II'' was the initial working title for what officially became titled ''Star Trek II,'' an unproduced American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as a sequel to (and continuation of) the original ''S ...
'' television series involved retaining ''TOS'' uniforms but when the project became ''
Star Trek: The Motion Picture'', they were replaced with a new design by
Robert Fletcher, because, according to
Susan Sackett
Susan Sackett (born December 18, 1943) is an American author and screenwriter, best known for her involvement in the '' Star Trek'' franchise.
Early life and early career
Susan Sackett was born in New York City on December 18, 1943. She was rai ...
and
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...
in ''The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture'', the bright colors of the 1960s original, so vibrant on television, would distract viewer attention on the big screen.
''Star Trek: The Motion Picture''
The film has multiple uniform styles, including one-piece jumpsuits, matching shirt and pants, and tunics either with buttons or a sash around the waist. All uniform variants include shoes ("foot coverings") built into the trousers. Some uniforms have short sleeves, while others are long-sleeved, with either standing, v-neck, or turnover collars. Uniforms come in gray, white, gray and white, blue, brown, and beige.
The Star Trek delta still remains the symbol for all ''Enterprise'' staff members, but the science department's planetary circle and the operations 6-sided spiral are discontinued, replaced with the elongated star. Divisions or section assignments are indicated by a colored circle behind the delta, rather than the uniform color itself: red is for engineering, pale green for medical, orange for science, white for command, pale gold for operations, and gray for security.
Most of the uniforms in the first movie also included a personal scanner ("perscan") medical monitoring device in the position where one would expect to see a belt buckle. This is mentioned in the Roddenberry's novelization of ''The Motion Picture''.
Rank is indicated by stripes on long sleeves as per TOS, but now shoulder board stripes are employed when there are no long sleeves. Also, ensigns are now given a dotted braid (half stripe). Non-commissioned officers wear a hollow gold square on the shoulder boards but not at the sleeves. New rank insignia for admirals are shown, in the shape of three solid braids side-by-side, followed by another solid braid on its own, with an 8-pointed star on shoulder boards. The number of stripes was kept lower than on U.S. Navy uniforms to avoid an overly militaristic look as per TOS,
reflecting Roddenberry's insistence that the role of Starfleet was expressly non-military.
Security guards (non-commissioned personnel) wear white uniforms with brown helmets and breastplates. Engineering personnel (commissioned and non-commissioned) wear white
pressure suit
A pressure suit is a protective suit worn by high-altitude pilots who may fly at altitudes where the air pressure is too low for an unprotected person to survive, even breathing pure oxygen at positive pressure. Such suits may be either full-pr ...
s with large black ribbed collars.
The new officers' uniform designs proved unpopular with the regular cast, and when
Harve Bennett
Harve Bennett (born Harve Bennett Fischman; August 17, 1930 – February 25, 2015) was an American television producer, television and film producer and screenwriter.
Early years
Bennett was born to a American Jews, Jewish family in Chicago, Ill ...
took over as producer of the second motion picture, he ordered another redesign because he did not want "an all-gray crew on an all-gray ship."
''The Wrath of Khan'' through ''Star Trek Generations''
![Starfleet uniform as introduced in The Wrath of Khan (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Starfleet_uniform_as_introduced_in_The_Wrath_of_Khan_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Fletcher redesigned the costumes for ''
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan''. This design is used in the following movies, up to ''
Star Trek Generations
''Star Trek Generations'' is a 1994 American science fiction film and the seventh film in the ''Star Trek'' film series. Malcolm McDowell joins cast members from the 1960s television show ''Star Trek'' and the 1987 sequel series ''The Next G ...
,'' and variations appear in some flashback scenes of ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and ''
Star Trek: Voyager.'' In this version, Starfleet officers wear rank insignia on the shoulder strap and left sleeve just above the armband. A service bar is worn just below the sleeve rank pin, denoting how long the officer has served in Starfleet in five-year and ten-year increments.
The second movie-era uniform consists of a burgundy ("blood") double-breasted jacket with a black stripe along a sealing mechanism (admirals also had smaller gold stripes below, the number depending on rank), with a colored strap over the right shoulder to close the tunic, attached to which is a rank pin. All uniforms include the command star arrowhead insignia from ''TOS,'' now adopted as the Starfleet emblem, on the left chest; officers have a white rectangular piece behind the arrowhead, while enlisted personnel do not. Characters also wear a black belt with a buckle shaped like the Starfleet arrowhead in a circle, complete with ''TOS'' command star.
Departments are indicated by the color of the shoulder strap, arm band, and undershirt, rather than insignia.
The colors include white for command; gold for engineering; gray for science, communications and navigation; dark green for security; light green for medical; dark blue for operations; light blue for special services; and red for low-grade officers and officer cadets. All officer uniforms have a division colored stripe on the trousers or skirt that matches the shoulder strap and service bar, except for command branch, whose stripes are red, rather than white. Instead of the foot coverings built into the trousers, this uniform design had black boots whose uppers were eight or ten inches high. This costume was nicknamed "The Monster Maroon" uniform because of the difficulty fans often encountered duplicating it.
An alternate "bomber" jacket was worn by
Kirk
Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.
Basic meaning and etymology
As a common noun, ''kirk'' ...
and
Scott, as well as Admiral Morrow (''
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock'', ''
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'', ''
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier''). In later years Scotty would often remove the jacket altogether, simply wearing a black vest, with numerous pockets useful for an engineer, with his undershirt. Scotty's undershirt itself is inconsistent - he wears a white shirt (consistent with his rank of Captain) with the vest or bomber, but a gold one (used by Engineering crew) with his formal duty tunic.
Security and engineering personnel wear armor and radiation suits respectively, similar to those worn in ''The Motion Picture'', although security guards wear a red, turtle-necked uniform underneath (''
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country''). The engineering radiation suits have a colored collar (''Star Trek II''): black indicates officer, red indicates cadet. There is also a field jacket for away missions with several large pockets, arm patches, white ribbing and a large white turnover collar. Starfleet cadets in ''The Wrath of Khan'' wear the same uniforms as officers, but with bright red undershirts and a red shoulder strap instead of one indicating department.
Enlisted personnel wear a one-piece red jumpsuit in a similar color to the officer uniform, with tan shoulders and upper chest and black undershirts. Enlisted trainees wear the same uniform, except with a red undershirt instead of a black one. (''Star Trek II'').
Uniforms similar to this style are shown in the ''Next Generation'' television series, although without the turtleneck or belt (''TNG'': "
Yesterday's Enterprise
"Yesterday's Enterprise" is the 63rd episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. It is the 15th episode of the third season, first airing in syndication in the week of February 19, 1990.
Set ...
", "
Dark Page
"Dark Page" is the 159th episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', the seventh episode of the seventh season. It features a guest appearance by a young Kirsten Dunst as a young alien. It was al ...
", "
Family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
, "
Violations").
''The Next Generation''
''Star Trek: The Next Generation''
The Starfleet officers and crewmembers seen in ''
The Next Generation
Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to:
Publications and literature
* ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company
* Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
'' wear a
jumpsuit
A jumpsuit is a one-piece garment with sleeves and legs and typically without integral coverings for feet, hands or head. The original jump suit is the functional one-piece garment used by parachuting, parachuters.
The original skydivers' j ...
with a Starfleet
communicator badge (or 'combadge' as it was sometimes called) on the left chest and rank insignia on the right side of the collar. The black areas are seen on the shoulders and the pants, and the uniforms's sleeves and abdominal area are colored to indicate the individual's division, with red indicating command and helm; gold for engineering, security, and operations; and blue for science and medical (''TNG'': "
Encounter at Farpoint
"Encounter at Farpoint" is the pilot episode and series premiere of the American science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', which premiered in first-run syndication, syndication on Septem ...
"). The division colors for command and operations switched from those used in ''Enterprise'' and ''TOS'' while the division color for science stayed the same. In early episodes some crew members can be seen wearing a tunic version of the uniform with bare legs and boots ("skant").
Beverly Crusher
Beverly Crusher is a fictional character in the '' Star Trek'' franchise played by Gates McFadden. Debuting in the television series, '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', McFadden appeared in every season except for the second, as well as its sp ...
often wears a blue
laboratory coat over her standard uniform, beginning in ''TNG:'' "
The Naked Now
"The Naked Now" is the second episode of the first season of the American science-fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation,'' originally aired on October 5, 1987, in broadcast syndication in the United States. Directed by Pa ...
." The lab coat was used extensively to hide
Gates McFadden
Cheryl Gates McFadden (born March 2, 1949) is an American actress and choreographer. She is usually credited as Cheryl McFadden when working as a choreographer and Gates McFadden for acting work. She is best known for playing Dr. Beverly Crusher ...
's pregnancy in the fourth season. The blue tended to appear teal under certain lighting conditions in the later seasons and subsequent spinoffs. In some episodes of the later seasons, starting in ''TNG:'' "
Darmok
"Darmok" is the 102nd episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', the second episode of the fifth season.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the ...
",
Jean-Luc Picard
Jean-Luc Picard is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, most often seen as the captain of the Federation starship . Played by Patrick Stewart, Picard has appeared in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (''T ...
would sometimes wear a different uniform that consisted of a gray shirt with black ribbed shoulders and collar with a "
bomber jacket
A flight jacket is a casual jacket that was originally created for pilots and eventually became part of popular culture and apparel. It has evolved into various styles and silhouettes, including the "letterman" jacket and the fashionable "bomber ...
" that was red overall with black ribbed shoulders, often worn open or very loosely fastened. The uniforms could be fitted with pouches for carrying
tricorder
A tricorder is a fictional handheld sensor that exists in the ''Star Trek'' universe. The tricorder is a multifunctional hand-held device that can perform environmental scans, data recording, and data analysis; hence the word "tricorder" to refer ...
s and Type 2
phasers on the waist, and the early versions had a small pocket built in on the left side of the waist for carrying a smaller Type 1 phaser when appearing openly armed was not desired. The removable gear pouches were also incorporated into the uniforms used in ''DS9'' and the ''TNG''-era films from ''First Contact'' onward.
In the show's early seasons the uniforms were one-piece jumpsuits made of
Spandex
Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether-polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont's Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia, US.
The ge ...
, and sized slightly too small so that they would be stretched when worn and provide a smooth appearance. But the cast members hated the uniform's painfully tight fit and lack of pockets,
and after Patrick Stewart's chiropractor warned that they risked permanent injury, the actors persuaded the costumers to gradually replace them with wool uniforms.
The wool uniforms, which most main cast members wear from the third season onward, are two-piece (tunic and pants) designs that lack colored piping on the shoulders and edges of the pant leg cuffs and have a raised collar. The collar of the tunic has a colored piping similar to that of the original diamond-shaped shoulder piping. The spandex uniforms continued to make appearances throughout ''TNG'', usually worn by
extras in various scenes. These were later altered to lack the piping on the shoulders and trouser hems and include a raised collar as a cost-cutting measure.
Admirals wore numerous different uniform variations in the early years of ''TNG''; a final design was settled on in the sixth season, featuring a jacket with gold piping along a centered front closure, and rank pips (indicating the number of "stars"), in gold squares on either side of the collar.
The ''TNG'' dress uniform, which continued to be used in ''Deep Space Nine'' and ''Voyager'', is a colored wraparound robe-like coat of a solid division color, save for black shoulders. The edges of the coats are piped in silver for
field officers
A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...
and in gold for
flag officers
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command.
The term is used differently in different countries:
*In many countries ...
.
Other uniform designs appeared briefly in individual episodes, always following the theme of a colored or differentiated shoulder yoke. Examples include cadet uniforms in several episodes (including "
The First Duty
"The First Duty" is the 119th episode of the American syndicated science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', the 19th episode of the show's fifth season. It featured the return of former regular castmember Wil Wheaton ...
"). Wesley Crusher's 'Acting Ensign' gray costume was never specifically identified as a uniform, but it also exhibited a shoulder yoke design.
Theiss, the costume designer from the original series, returned to design the initial ''TNG'' uniforms; they marked his last contribution to ''Star Trek'' wardrobe before he died. The costumes adopted from season 3 onward and later series' costumes were designed by Robert Blackman.
![Starfleet OF6](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Starfleet_OF6.png)
During all the shows set in the 24th century, a consistent insignia scheme is used for officers: a series of gold pips, either a solid color or an outline, worn on the right collar. After the first season of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', a consistent scheme is also used for admiral insignia: a series of gold circles inside a black rectangle with a gold border worn on both collars.
For the first season of ''TNG'', admirals wear a different insignia, consisting of a triangle or stripe resembling gold weave along the right collar; one or two gold pips are sometimes underneath the weave. Three variants are visible in "
Conspiracy
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...
": Admiral Quinn's insignia has no pips, Admiral Savar's has one, and Admiral Aaron's has two.
A Starfleet insignia is worn on the left breast: this also functions as a
communicator badge. This combadge insignia was redesigned for the movie ''
Star Trek Generations
''Star Trek Generations'' is a 1994 American science fiction film and the seventh film in the ''Star Trek'' film series. Malcolm McDowell joins cast members from the 1960s television show ''Star Trek'' and the 1987 sequel series ''The Next G ...
'' (the only surviving part of a planned redesign of the uniforms), replacing the oval with a trapezoid with a cutout oval in the center.
This new combadge is also used in ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' from season three onward, and in ''Star Trek: Voyager''.
Cadet ranks are rarely ever seen, with the exception of the various visits from Wesley Crusher to the ''Enterprise'' in ''TNG''. As it appears in those instances, it can be surmised that the insignia of a Cadet consists of one, two, three, or four copper and black bars, similar to those of a modern Lieutenant in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. It can also be surmised that if a cadet has one bar, he has one year at the academy, two bars for two years, and so on.
Enlisted ranks are seen even less; their insignia are unclear.
''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''
''
Deep Space Nine
''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the '' Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication fr ...
'' introduced a new style of uniform that appeared to run in parallel to the one seen on ''TNG''. The new uniform comprised a single two-piece open-necked jumpsuit with the colored and black areas of the ''TNG'' uniform reversed (black torso/sleeves/pants and colored shoulders) with the upper part being a removable jacket along with a visible zipper, resembling the ''TNG'' cadet uniforms. The division colors use the same ''TNG'' scheme, though the science division is now blue-green. A grayish-indigo mock turtleneck undershirt was added, to which rank pips are affixed. Interestingly,
Miles O'Brien (who is the first character to wear the ''DS9'' uniform) is the only character in the series to have the sleeves of the uniform rolled up. The characters of
Major Kira and
Odo
Odo or ODO may refer to:
People
* Odo, a given name; includes a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Franklin Odo (born 1939), Japanese-American historian
* Seikichi Odo (1927–2002), Japanese karateka
* Yuya Odo (born 1990), J ...
did not wear Starfleet uniforms, as they were part of the Bajoran militia. Throughout the run of ''DS9'', ship-based Starfleet personnel continue to wear the older uniform design. Sisko also wore the ''TNG'' uniform on certain formal occasions, during his first arrival at ''DS9'' (in the series pilot episode, "
Emissary
Emissary may refer to:
* Ambassador
* Apostle (disambiguation)
* Diplomat
* ''Emissaries'' (album), a 2006 album by black metal group Melechesh
* Emissary (hydraulics), channel by which an outlet is formed to carry off any stagnant body of wate ...
"), and when he was temporarily given the duties of "Head of Security" for Starfleet Headquarters on Earth (in the Season 4 episode, "
Paradise Lost
''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...
"). Admirals also retained the ''TNG'' style. A uniform similar to that appearing in the ''DS9'' series can be seen in the ''TNG'' Season 3 episode "Allegiance", worn by the alien masquerading as a Starfleet cadet. The ''DS9'' uniforms were first used in the premiere episode, "
Emissary
Emissary may refer to:
* Ambassador
* Apostle (disambiguation)
* Diplomat
* ''Emissaries'' (album), a 2006 album by black metal group Melechesh
* Emissary (hydraulics), channel by which an outlet is formed to carry off any stagnant body of wate ...
" and would continued to be used up to the Season 5 episode, "
The Ascent".
Following the release of ''Star Trek: First Contact'', the new gray movie uniform design also appeared in ''DS9''s fifth season and for the remainder of the series. However, the old ''DS9'' uniform appears four more times following the introduction of the movie gray uniform design in the Season 5 episodes, "
In Purgatory's Shadow
"In Purgatory's Shadow" is the 112th episode of the television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the 14th episode of the fifth season. The episode premiered on February 10, 1997 to a Nielsen rating of 6.7 points. It is the first half of a t ...
" and "
By Inferno's Light
"By Inferno's Light" is the 113th episode of the television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the 15th episode of the fifth season.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Starfleet-run space station D ...
" worn by the real Dr. Julian Bashir while still being trapped in the Internment Camp 371 as well as the Season 7 episode, "
Field of Fire
The field of fire of a weapon (or group of weapons) is the area around it that can easily and effectively be reached by gunfire. The term 'field of fire' is mostly used in reference to machine guns. Their fields of fire incorporate the beaten zon ...
" in a photograph and in the flashback scenes of the series finale, "
What You Leave Behind
"What You Leave Behind" is the series finale of the television show '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the 175th and 176th episodes, the 25th and 26th episodes of the seventh season. The episode was written by showrunner Ira Steven Behr and Hans ...
".
''Star Trek Generations''
New uniforms were designed and made for the film ''
Star Trek Generations
''Star Trek Generations'' is a 1994 American science fiction film and the seventh film in the ''Star Trek'' film series. Malcolm McDowell joins cast members from the 1960s television show ''Star Trek'' and the 1987 sequel series ''The Next G ...
'', but were abandoned at the last minute. These included a fastening on the right side of the chest and a slightly more militaristic approach with rank bandings on the sleeves (similar to the ''TOS'' uniforms) and a colored collar and the lack of a black "W" shape on the abdomen. The costumes for the female crew-members were different - instead of the additional fastening, there was a higher than previously seen black band around the waist. Nonetheless,
Playmates Toys
Playmates Toys Limited is a Hong Kong toy company. The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1966 by Sam Chan as Playmates Industrial, manufacturing dolls for other companies. In 1975, Playmates began marketing their own line of pre-school toys, ...
released a number of action figures wearing these planned uniforms. ''Generations'' instead has the crew wearing both ''TNG'' and ''DS9'' uniforms, sometimes in the same scene (for instance, Worf and Riker in the battle against the Duras Sisters' Bird of Prey or Data and Geordi scanning the Amargosa Observatory for trilithium) as Jonathan Frakes and LeVar Burton had to borrow Avery Brooks and Colm Meaney's costumes respectively since the time was so short while there was enough time to make ''DS9''-style costumes to fit on Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner, though neither of the costumes fit very well on both Frakes and Burton as Brooks' costume was too small on Frakes, which resulted in having the sleeves rolled up (similar to Miles O'Brien's on ''Deep Space Nine'') and Meaney's costume looked too big on Burton. Picard, Riker, Data and LaForge are the only four characters in the ''TNG'' crew to wear the ''DS9'' uniform in the film. However, Worf is the only male character in the ''TNG'' crew to not wear the ''DS9'' uniform in the film, although he would later join the ''DS9'' crew in the fourth season of ''Deep Space Nine'' and none of the female characters wear the ''DS9'' uniform in the film, although Alyssa Ogawa is the only female to wear the ''DS9'' uniform in the film. Strangely, Picard wears a black belt around the waist while wearing the ''DS9'' uniform.
As the film progresses, some characters alternate between the ''TNG'' and ''DS9'' uniforms and sometimes switch back to the old ''TNG'' uniforms (for instance, Picard switches back to the ''TNG'' uniform in the film's last scene). This introduces the new design as standard shipboard wear for ''
Star Trek: Voyager''.
The new style combadge (with the previous gold oval background replaced by a rectangular gold background with a cutout in the center) was also introduced for all uniform types. This combadge was subsequently adopted for ''DS9'' (at the beginning of its third season) and ''Star Trek: Voyager''.
''Star Trek: Voyager''
The crew in ''Star Trek: Voyager'' use the same uniforms seen in the early episodes of ''Deep Space Nine'' throughout the show's run. Because they were stuck in the Delta Quadrant and out of contact with Starfleet, the ''Voyager'' crew never made the switch to the updated uniform seen in later ''DS9'' episodes and in the last three ''TNG'' films; they continued to use the old ''DS9'' uniforms, although in the episode "
Message in a Bottle
A message in a bottle (abbrev. MIB) is a form of communication in which a message is sealed in a container (typically a bottle) and released into a conveyance medium (typically a body of water).
Messages in bottles have been used to send distres ...
" the EMH mark II is wearing the later ''DS9''/movie gray ''TNG'' uniform. Starfleet personnel back in the Alpha Quadrant are seen wearing this uniform in later seasons of the show as well, when ''Voyager'' reestablishes contact with home. The crew also wears the ''TNG''-style dress uniforms (''VOY'': "
Course: Oblivion", "
Someone to Watch Over Me", "
One Small Step", "
Ashes to Ashes").
B'Elanna Torres
B'Elanna Torres is a main character in ''Star Trek: Voyager'' played by Roxann Dawson. She is portrayed as a half-human half-Klingon born in 2346 on the Federation colony Kessik IV. She was admitted to Starfleet academy but dropped out before gr ...
is sometimes seen wearing an overcoat over her normal uniform which matches the colors of her normal uniform, but has a pocket on the right breast for carrying small tools. The jacket was added to help conceal actress
Roxann Dawson
Roxann Dawson (née Caballero, born September 11, 1958), also credited as Roxann Biggs and Roxann Biggs-Dawson, is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as B'Elanna Torres on the television series '' Star Trek: Voyager' ...
's
pregnancy
Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins.
Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...
in the fourth season. She wore it again during the character's pregnancy in the seventh season, beginning in the episode "
Q2".
![Voyager OF5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Voyager_OF5.png)
''Voyager'' used the new-style combadge and introduced 'provisional' rank insignia which consisted of a gold-metal-bordered enamel oval in the crewman's Branch color with diagonal black or gold bars to signify rank instead of the traditional pips. Provisional ranks were worn by the
Maquis
Maquis may refer to:
Resistance groups
* Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance
* Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War
* The network ...
members of ''Voyager''s crew, as they were ineligible to wear official Starfleet ranks. All ranks up to Captain appeared on screen; ''The Star Trek Encyclopedia'' showed them all to be analogous to the normal rank system.
A black diagonal bar is equal to a black pip and a gold diagonal bar is equal to a gold pip. (e.g.: a yellow-enamel oval with one black bar and two gold bars signifies a Lieutenant-Commander in Operations, which is normally signified by one black pip and two gold pips.)
The crew aboard the USS ''Equinox'' also use the same uniforms seen in the early episodes of ''Deep Space Nine'' as they are also stuck in the Delta Quadrant and out of contact with Starfleet (''VOY'': "
Equinox (Parts I and II)").
The 29th-century officers in the ''Star Trek: Voyager'' episode "
Relativity" wear
chevron
Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to:
Science and technology
* Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines
* Chevron (anatomy), a bone
* ''Eulithis testata'', a moth
* Chevron (geology), a fold in rock lay ...
-like collar insignia (worn in a horizontal line like the pips and oriented pointing forwards towards the collar). Captain Braxton wears four gold chevrons (equivalent to four gold pips) and Lieutenant Ducane wears two gold chevrons (equivalent to two gold pips). The new Starfleet insignia is a silver diamond shape inset with a gold "Arrowhead" symbol facing to the left; this is probably a combination communicator and temporal beacon. The tunics have a quilted fabric in branch color on the right shoulder and sleeve (Blue for Command, Olive Drab Brown for Operations, and Gray for Sciences) and branch-color piping on the edge of the shoulder yoke.
In "
Living Witness
"Living Witness" is the 91st episode of the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'', the 23rd episode of the fourth season. This episode takes place in 3100s, when an AI program called The Doctor (played by Robert Picardo) is ...
",
the crew was shown to be wearing black undershirts with a high collar (turtleneck style) instead of the usual grayish-indigo undershirts with a low collar, no
combadges or rank insignia, while some were wearing black gloves including Captain
Kathryn Janeway
Kathryn Janeway is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. She was the Captain of the Starfleet starship USS ''Voyager'' (on '' Star Trek: Voyager'') while it was lost in the Delta Quadrant on the other side of the galaxy. After re ...
. This was in the context of historical records that wrongly asserted that Voyager's crew had acted in a malign manner, until corrected by
The Doctor, who was brought back to life 700 years in the future after a “relic” (containing a backup copy of his program) was discovered among wreckage and his program was recovered.
Movies from ''Star Trek: First Contact'' on and later ''DS9'' seasons
''
Star Trek: First Contact'' introduces a new uniform style later adopted in ''DS9'' (''DS9'': "
Rapture
The rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an Eschatology, end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurre ...
"). This uniform features a colored turtleneck undertunic (with the same departmental color scheme as in earlier shows) covered by a black jacket with colored bands on the lower sleeves near the cuffs showing the wearer's division, the shoulders and upper chest of which are ribbed and made of thick, violet-gray material. Like the last two uniforms, the communicator badge is worn on the jacket, while rank pins are worn on the undertunic's collar. The pants are black. ''
Star Trek: Insurrection'' also introduced a new dress uniform, consisting of a white jacket and black pants both with gold trim, a gray ribbed tunic (white tunic for flag officers and captains), and rank insignia on the collar of the tunic with the combadge worn in the customary location on the jacket. Unlike the previous uniform, it was the same color regardless of the wearer's division, save for colored bands on the lower sleeves like the standard uniform. It also appeared in the ''DS9'' episode "
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
''Inter arma enim silent lēgēs'' is a Latin phrase that literally means "For among arms, the laws are silent" but is more popularly rendered as "In times of war, the law falls silent."
Ancient Rome
The aphorism was likely first written in these ...
". Captains also had the option of a more casual uniform vest of the same basic design, though the violet-gray extended much lower.
As depicted in ''Insurrection'', a new admiral's duty uniform was shown, looking similar to those worn by officers, and yet containing markers to set it apart from the ordinary. The stripes on the jacket cuffs are double the width of those on the officer's jacket, and they show the admiral's rank insignia. The jacket also has gold edging. Furthermore, the admiral's uniform incorporates a belt, whose buckle is either a plain gold rectangle, as seen frequently in ''DS9'', or a gold oval with an image of the United Federation of Planets' Seal, as was the case with Admiral Dougherty from ''Insurrection''.
''Lower Decks''
A new uniform is introduced in the animated series ''
Star Trek: Lower Decks
''Star Trek: Lower Decks'' is an American adult-oriented animated television series created by Mike McMahan for the streaming service CBS All Access (later rebranded as Paramount+). It is the ninth ''Star Trek'' series and was launched in 2020 ...
'' in the early 2380s. This uniform is very similar to the version prototyped for ''Star Trek Generations,'' but has slight alterations such as a white band between the shoulder area and the body; a simplified badge featuring only the Starfleet arrowhead insignia; a V-shaped tunic front; and colored bands at the tops of the boots corresponding to the division color, echoed in the boots' soles. The division colors still follow the ''TNG'' scheme, though the science division is now sky blue rather than blue-green. This uniform is explicitly worn contemporary to the later Deep Space Nine/First Contact uniform.
Ancillary uniform
Starfleet personnel fighting in ground battles appear in the ''DS9'' episodes "
...Nor the Battle to the Strong" and "
The Siege of AR-558
"The Siege of AR-558" is the 158th episode of the television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the eighth episode of the seventh season, first aired the week of November 16, 1998. It was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler, and dire ...
". They wear one-piece black uniforms with divisional stripes across the chest.
Alternative timelines
In the ''TNG'' episode "
All Good Things...", an alternate timeline showed a uniform with the full color shirt (including shoulders). The same colors were used and the rank insignia would be shown above the right breast over a black line which cut off the shoulder area. These uniforms would also make an appearance in the ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode "
The Visitor" and the ''
Star Trek: Voyager'' episode "
Endgame
Endgame, Endgames, End Game, End Games, or similar variations may refer to:
Film
* ''The End of the Game'' (1919 film)
* ''The End of the Game'' (1975 film), short documentary U.S. film
* ''Endgame'' (1983 film), 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic f ...
". These episodes also included a new combadge design where the starfleet arrow was just an outline surrounded by two gold vertical bars. This badge was also worn by Geordi La Forge in the ''
Star Trek: Voyager'' episode "
Timeless
Timeless (or atemporal) or timelessness (or atemporality) may refer to:
* Agelessness, the condition of being unaffected by the passage of time
* Akal (Sikh term), timelessness in Sikhism
* Eternity, timeless existence or infinite duration
* Immo ...
" but on the gray shoulder uniform used in the last three ''TNG'' movies and the later episodes of ''Deep Space Nine''.
The ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode "
Parallels" used an alternate combadge design where rank was denoted by the number of bars behind the arrowhead.
Variations in uniforms and insignia are occasionally used as plot devices in the various series. In the episode "
Future Imperfect
"Future Imperfect" is the 82nd episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. It is the eighth episode of the fourth season.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Star ...
", the insignia are slightly altered so as to convince a character that 16 years have passed. In the episode, "Parallels", variations in uniforms and insignia suggest a meeting of characters from different parallel universes.
Prequel era
''Star Trek: Enterprise''
![Star-Trek-Enterprisecrew](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Star-Trek-Enterprisecrew.jpg)
In ''
Enterprise
Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to:
Business and economics
Brands and enterprises
* Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company
* Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company
* Enterprise ...
'', field officers and crewmembers wear duty uniforms consisting of a dark long-sleeved undershirt and blue jumpsuit with colored piping around the shoulders and, occasionally, baseball caps. There is also a desert uniform with khaki pants and white shirt. Both uniforms have a United Earth Starfleet patch (featuring the stylized arrowhead emblem) on the right upper arm, and a patch left upper arm denoting the ship one is serving on. ''Enterprise'', set before all other incarnations, did not include characters who hold the ranks of lieutenant commander or lieutenant, junior grade. The highest-ranking admiral seen wears two sets of three-pip insignia.
Division colors follow the original ''TOS'' scheme, with command and flight control officers wearing gold piping, engineering, communications, and security officers wearing red piping, and medical and science officers (including linguists) wearing blue piping. Throughout the series, men and women wear the same type of uniform. Unlike the other series' uniforms, standard uniforms on ''Enterprise'' include zip-up pockets, and the undershirt is buttoned at the neck - while Gene Roddenberry had explicitly forbidden such devices as buttons and zippers on Starfleet uniforms, believing they would be obsolete in the future, designer Bob Blackman consciously used them as a way of dating the series, implying that closures Roddenberry envisioned had not been invented yet. Blackman described the jumpsuits as "more like a NASA flight suit" than the previous Starfleet costumes, and actors from other ''Star Trek'' shows envied the ''Enterprise'' actors' much more comfortable and conventional outfits.
On certain occasions, ''Enterprise'' characters wear
dress uniform
Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades, ceremonies, and receptions, incl ...
s similar to the blue jumpsuit, decorated with the same pattern of colored piping, but lacking the zip-up pockets and combined with a white long-sleeved undershirt and, sometimes depending on rank, a
white tie
White tie, also called full evening dress or a dress suit, is the most formal in traditional evening western dress codes. For men, it consists of a black tail coat (alternatively referred to as a dress coat, usually by tailors) worn over a whit ...
.
Rank insignia on duty uniforms are worn on right side of shoulders only, but rank insignia on dress uniforms are worn on both sides.
Also, there are two different kinds of field jackets worn on away missions. They have zippered pockets and the same colored pipings as the jumpsuits, as well as cold weather gear, pressure suits, spacesuits, an EV undersuit, and a royal blue undergarment with slight differences on male and female garments.
During the series,
T'Pol
T'Pol () is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Portrayed by Jolene Blalock in the series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', she is a Vulcan who serves as the science officer aboard the starship ''Enterprise'' (NX-01).
Concept and cr ...
is almost never seen wearing the standard uniform although she is a commissioned officer in Starfleet, and often considered to be the first officer. The only times she wears the uniform is in the episode "Twilight" (featuring an alternate timeline) and briefly (as a disguise) in "Hatchery".
''Star Trek: Discovery''
In 2017's ''
Star Trek: Discovery'', set ten years prior to ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', the uniform underwent another redesign. Like its ''Enterprise'' predecessor, a blue uniform was worn, with a shirt-trouser combination with a single collar on the left side. A large zipper fastens the front of the shirt, and pants pockets have zippers as well. Repeating patterns of tiny delta insignias ran down the sides of the uniforms, its colors denoting the wearer's division. The classic yellow, blue, red combination was eschewed in favor of gold, silver and copper for command, sciences and operations respectively. Ranks were embedded onto the Starfleet Delta, along with gold shoulder stripes for captains and shoulder stripes plus gold shoulder markings for admirals, and following the same standard as ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' style rank insignias.
"Reboot" films
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as ''Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' For ...
' ''Star Trek'' series takes place in a parallel universe starting in 2233 (James T. Kirk's birth year), known as the
"Kelvin timeline" for the fact it was created when the late twenty-fourth century Romulan
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
destroyed the ''USS Kelvin'', on which Kirk's parents served. Kirk's father is killed, and Jim Kirk is born in space three months prematurely after his mother is evacuated from the Kelvin.
The uniform design for the reboot basically recreates the original series uniforms, but with some cosmetic changes.
''Star Trek'' (2009 film)
The delta insignia badge is now a metal pin rather than a sewn-on patch, gold for flag officers and silver for all lower-ranked officers. The shirts are now in two layers: a wide-collared over-shirt color-coded gold, blue, or red for department as in the original series, with a quilted pattern and a colored hem-line from the neck to the armpit; and a black undershirt, visually imitating the black collar of the original TOS design. The over-shirt has the division delta badge shape printed onto the fabric, providing a textured appearance. Rank is indicated by 1 to 4 silver metallic-cloth bands worn above the overshirt's cuffs (1 for lieutenants, 2 for commanders, 3 for captains, and 4 for flag officers).
As in the original series, female officers wear dresses, some with short sleeves (seen on Lt. Uhura), others with long sleeves (as seen on some of the background extras). Also, a number of women onboard can be seen wearing the long sleeve top and pants uniform similar to those worn in "
The Cage
The Cage may refer to:
Sports
* West Fourth Street Courts, also known as "The Cage", as of 1978, a public venue for amateur basketball in New York City
* Al-Shorta Stadium, 1990-2014, former football stadium of Al-Shorta SC, nicknamed "The Cage ...
". Unlike other ''Trek'', this uniform is worn only aboard starships - other personnel wear black one-piece uniforms of a much more "military" appearance. In an unexplained change from previous series, many female crew members wear nail polish (Uhura wears black polish, while many extras wear red).
Dress uniforms for academy cadets and staff are crimson, while flag officers (fleet captains and admirals) use a gray uniform with a white false-plastron front. The design is similar to that in ''The Motion Picture'', stated by designer
Michael Kaplan in the book ''Star Trek: The Art of the Film'' to be a deliberate homage. Rank is indicated by 1 to 5 paired diamond-shaped silver-metal "pips" worn on the tunic's shoulder-boards (ensigns wear 1 paired pip, lieutenants wear 2 paired pips, commanders wear 3 paired pips, captains wear 4 paired pips, and flag officers wear 5 paired pips). One significant change from TOS is the addition of the
peaked cap
The peaked cap, peaked hat, service cap, barracks cover or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organisations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments. It ...
to the dress uniforms.
''Star Trek Into Darkness'' (2013 film)
The uniforms in the second reboot film are developed further. The dress uniform for Starfleet officers on the ground is shown to be a mid-gray in color and a similar style to the red uniforms worn by the academy cadets in the first film. A more informal uniform jumpsuit is worn at various points by several characters (including Kirk and Scotty). These jumpsuits have high collars and are made of a dark gray fabric, with triangles of transparent plastic at the collarbones which show the color of the officer's regular uniform shirt beneath.
The personnel on the USS ''Vengeance'' wear a different duty uniform from the norm. It consists of black trousers and undershirt, with a quilted blue overshirt with long black sleeves and black cloth epaulets. This might either be the uniform of a private armed security or military contractor company hired by Marcus through Section 31 or the duty uniform for
Section 31 itself (the blue indicating its Research & Development wing). Admiral Marcus' rank on this uniform is indicated by a wide silver band over a narrow silver band and under two narrow silver bands on the cuff.
Rank for admirals (as worn by Admiral Alexander Marcus) is indicated by 1 to 5 paired diamond-shaped gold-metal "pips" worn on the flag officer tunic's shoulder-boards. Marcus is described as a
fleet Admiral (usually equivalent to a NATO five-star military rank) and wears 5 paired gold pips on his shoulder-boards. There are other ranks mentioned in the movies (Kirk himself is offered the rank of
Vice-Admiral in ''Star Trek: Beyond''). If the rank scheme is similar to NATO ranks they would be:
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, a ...
s wear 1 paired gold pip,
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
s wear 2 paired gold pips,
Vice-Admirals wear 3 paired gold pips, and
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
s wear 4 paired gold pips. Alternatively, the rank of
fleet captain
Fleet captain is a historic military title that was bestowed upon a naval officer who served as chief of staff to a flag officer.
Historical background
In the Royal Navy, during the 18th and 19th centuries, an admiral's flagship might have a "c ...
(a senior grade of captain and brevet flag officer rank) is signified by 5 paired silver pips, and the rank of admiral is always signified by 5 paired gold pips regardless of grade.
Other publications
Some licensed ''Star Trek'' publications present some insignia that contradict the ones shown on screen or in other publications. For example, the second and third editions of ''
The Star Trek Encyclopedia
''The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future'' is a 1994 encyclopedia of in-universe information from the '' Star Trek'' television series and films. It was written by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda, who were production staff o ...
'' offer differing insignia for various Starfleet ranks.
[ Images accessible at ] Additionally, some ''Star Trek'' publications, including officially licensed ones, posit additional ranks that are not seen or mentioned in live-action productions.
See also
*
United States Navy officer rank insignia
In the United States Navy, officers have various ranks. Equivalency between services is by pay grade. United States Navy commissioned officer ranks have two distinct sets of rank insignia: On dress uniform a series of stripes similar to Commonwe ...
Notes
References
External links
{{Use mdy dates, date=March 2015
Uniforms
A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...
Uniforms
A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...
Military uniforms
Uniforms